One evening when my boys were teens, three of us were watching one of them play floor hockey in our college gym. I never did see what precipitated the fight but the one playing hockey was into it with another player. I could not believe my eyes as I watched his brother leap from our side and hurl himself into the fray to be by his embattled brother’s side. I never had a brother, just sisters. I guess that’s what brothers do.
Remember when Jack Kennedy appointed his brother to be his attorney general? The press was filled with editorials about nepotism. But there are times when one needs someone beside them they can implicitly trust. We were all riveted to the news as we watched those two brothers agonize us through the Cuban missile crisis. The editorials about nepotism slowed down, way down.
We think the little book of James toward the end of our New Testament was written by James, Jesus’ brother. I can only imagine the struggle he went through to finally realize his brother was Emmanuel, God with us. What kind of relationship must that have been! I am amazed in his letter he doesn’t do a lot of bragging about who he was.
Lest we become envious of him, let’s remind ourselves of the promises in Romans and Galatians. We are promised we can be adopted into God’s family and become members of the family. What an awesome thought it is to come to the same realization that James did. Jesus, the Creator of all things according to Hebrews, is our brother. I like that because I know when I am in trouble He will leap to my embattled side. It’s what brothers do.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 14, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org